A Possibility

Those of us in Atlanta expecting the worst for our ASO - i.e., what's the permanent damage - have been looking for some glimmer of hope in the whole CBA debacle. John Ruff brought this to my attention, and it's certainly interesting to me, as I have grave concerns about how attractive Atlanta will be to any bright young musicians looking for orchestra jobs in the near future, much less retaining the fine musicians that we now are so fortunate to have. Turns out that Atlanta will drop 5 places in compensation as compared to other US orchestras, but it appears to remain in the top 20 - barely, but still. With Indianapolis in the air right now, the ASO may bump up one more slot, but I hate that it may be at the ISO's expense. And it certainly doesn't alleviate the damage of a shortened season.

While things have seemingly calmed down over the past few days, please remain connected and remember that we have work to do over the next few years to make sure that the boards understand what is at stake and that real negotiations (actual give and take) occur. 

            Organization – 2011-2012 Annual Salary

1. Metropolitan Opera - $151,562 (including YEARLY MEDIA SALARY: $13000)
2. Chicago Symphony - $144,040
3. Los Angeles Philharmonic - $143,260
4. San Francisco Symphony - $141,700
5. New York Philharmonic - $134,940
6. Boston Symphony - $132,028
7. Philadelphia Orchestra - $130,780 (2010-11)
8. National Symphony - $128,568
9. Cleveland Orchestra - $120,120
10. Minnesota Orchestra - $111,566
11. Pittsburgh Symphony - $101,110
12. Cincinnati Symphony - $94,900
13. Dallas Symphony - $90,034
14. Atlanta Symphony - $88,400
15. Houston Symphony - $82,160
16. San Francisco Opera - $80,819 (2010-11)
17. St. Louis Symphony - $80,680
18. Detroit Symphony - $79,000
19. Indianapolis Symphony - $78,000
20. Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra - $73,732
21. Baltimore Symphony - $65,000
22. Utah Symphony - $64,896 (2010-11)
23. New York City Ballet - $61,731
24. Chicago Lyric Opera - $60,835
25. San Diego Symphony - $59,708
26. North Carolina Symphony - $59,400
27. Milwaukee Symphony - $58,500
28. Nashville Symphony - $55,594
29. Fort Worth Symphony - $54,234
30. San Francisco Ballet - $51,002
31. Kansas City Symphony - $45,822
32. Oregon Symphony - $45,251
33. Rochester Philharmonic - $44,070
34. Buffalo Philharmonic - $43,337
35. Colorado Symphony - $41,182 (2009-10)
36. Jacksonville Symphony $38,036 (2006-07)
37. New York City Opera $37,956 (2010-11)
38. Washington National Opera - $37,510
39. Phoenix Symphony - $36,600
40. Alabama Symphony - $36,595
41. Charlotte Symphony - $36,540
42. Syracuse Symphony - $36,079
43. New Jersey Symphony - $36,072 (2010-11)
44. Columbus Symphony - $36,000
45. Louisville Orchestra - $34,225 (2010-11)
46. Florida Orchestra - $34,225 (2010-2011)